The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-19
METHODIST AND UNIVERsALIST
MISSIONS.

Methodist generosity in giving is fire.
quently the subject of appreciative COM
ment among Universalists. The exam
pie of the Methodists in rolling up a
million of dollars for missions last year,
is held up before US as an example to
arouse Universalists to special activity
along that line. We have no objections
to this kind of emulation. 1t is we'll
and profitable for us to consider what
our neighbors are doing. Undoubtedly,
we can derive encouragement from the
consideration of their missionary meth
DDS, and their zeal and activity in the
work of the church.
But it is also we'll for us to under
stand distinctly that the generosity of
our Universalist people will not suffer
when put in comparison with that of
the Methodists. While commencing
Methodist enterprise and generosity,
let us be careful to do exact justice to
the generosity of our own church. In this
connection it should be understood that
the comparison to be just and fair ought
in every instance to take into account
the numerical strength Of both denom-
nations. The Methodists gave last
year 100000 for missions. 1t is
noble record, and does great credit to
that church. But consider this-divided
among their membership of 100000,
that amount is twenty cents member.
We will suppose that our membership,
proportioned to our families, ought to be
three times as much to make it equal
to the Methodist proportion. A gift
of 900 from our people would be
272 cents member, and our gifts for
missions last year exceed $50 900. Then
again, our contribution is more volun-
tary than that of the Methodists, while
our machinery is not so we'll managed.
Appendix /. of the last report of
the Board of our Convention shows
how far from general our contributions
are to the General Convention. We
are doing better in this respect every
year, and there is growing sense of
responsibility among our churches. We
do not, however, respond to the mis-
sionary call as generally as do the
Methodists- is, in proportion to
the number of the churches. Yet in the
aggregate our contribution of $50, 900
for missions last year stands out in
splendid relief with the ST. 900 900 of
the Methodists, when we take into ac-
count the number of those contributing.
Even this record would appear more
encouraging if we took into the table
the gifts through our State Conventions.
The Methodist statistics do not show
the number of families in their COM
munion. If they did this we could
make the comparison fairer TO both
parties. For our encouragement also
it may be said that the Methodists make
all the complaints we can of the want
of support for missions among their
people.
The fact we wish to have understood
is this, that while we can learn sys-
tematic giving from the Methodists,
and giving more generally in response
to the authorized call of the church, we
cannot learn generous giving from them.
Their contributions are big because
they are big. Give us their constituency
of 100000 membership, and at our
present ratio of giving, we will not only
reach the million line, but go far be-
yond it. All honor to the Methodists
for their splendid gifts to the mission
airy treasury. All honor likewise to
Universalists for what they are doing,
with even greater proportionate gener-
efosity, on the same line.